MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. Vaccines against the novel coronavirus infection developed by the Gamaleya Center and by the Vektor Research Center will be competing against each other, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Russia-24 TV channel aired on Thursday.

"One needs to ask the experts, I think, that they, most likely, will be competing since their safety and effectiveness should be equal," he said.

The head of state noted that the appearance of the second Russian vaccine against the coronavirus is expected in September. "The second preparation, it will be ready, as they tell me, in September. The famous Vektor institute in Novosibirsk is working on it. I am positive that the Vektor specialists will also come up with an excellent preparation which will really help people," Putin emphasized.

Registered on August 11, Russian Sputnik V preparation became the first vaccine against the coronavirus worldwide that obtained state registration. The preparation was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry. In all, over 160 vaccines are being developed worldwide with over 30 of them being at the stage of clinical trials on humans.

In its turn, the Vektor State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing obtained a permit from Russia’s Healthcare Ministry on July 24 to conduct clinical trials of its vaccine on volunteers. The first volunteer was inoculated on July 27.